If it weren’t for heart-racing, drama-filled fights,My Hero Academiawouldn’t have achieved the success it enjoyed over the years. It wasn’t rocket science to have pro heroes and villainous organizations do battle, but creator Kohei Horikoshi finds new ways to bring us all to the edge of our seats.
It’s truly an art to create antagonists that have a rich backstory full of compelling moments, yet build them up in a way that makes fans want to see them fall. What Horikoshi excels at best is the ability to pull the rug out from under us, and make each victory feel like an insurmountable hill to climb.
My Hero Academia: 12 Saddest Backstories, Ranked
My Hero Academia is home to some of the saddest backstories, and these 12 helped shape great heroes and villains because of their tragic past.
When it comes to the most satisfyingMy Hero Academiavictories, these ten entries stand above the rest as the ones that had us all jumping around our living rooms. The wins weren’t easy, but when they happened, they were euphoric.
10Izuku Midoriya vs. Katsuki Bakugo
The Showdown Between Rivals
This fight is the only one on the list not to pair a hero and a villain, but its inclusion meant so much more to the story at the time. Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo were childhood friends turned bitter rivals, and their animosity towards one another was eventually going to boil over.
Things escalated even further when both Midoriya and Bakugo were taken under the wing of All Might, the former number-one pro hero they both looked up to. For Bakugo, Midoriya was beneath him, yet always felt like he was two steps ahead, and that angered him to no end.
The satisfying conclusion that sawBakugo defeat Midoriyawas when the hatred dissolved and Bakugo opened up about his true feelings. This was an important breakthrough for him, as the bottled-up emotions had finally reached capacity, and everything came out all at once.
9Red Riot vs. Kendo Rappa
Kirishima Breaks Through His Limits
Eijiro Kirishima sure has a hard head at times, but it’s second to how hard he can make his body when push comes to shove. Otherwise known by his hero name, Red Riot, Kirishima was at his best when he was trading fists with the villain known as Kendo Rappa.
Kirishima and his pro-hero mentor, Fat Gum, were pushed to their limits in the fight against Rappa, and Fat Gum had used up all his stored fat. This left Kirishima on his own for a while, as Fat Gum recuperated, and things didn’t look so great for the heroic pair.
Like we’ve come to expect withMy Hero Academiafights, Kirishima pushed past his own limits and hardened his body beyond what he was formally capable of. Taking on an almost beast-like appearance with glowing eyes, Red Riot turned the tables on Rappa and held off long enough for Fat Gum to end the fight.
8Izuku Midoriya vs. Lady Nagant
Avoiding The Sniper At All Cost
It’s no secret that Izuku Midoriya was at the height of his popularity during his Dark Deku days. Dealing with a hopeless outlook on life and isolating himself from the rest of the heroes, Midoriya found himself in hot water during an encounter withLady Nagant.
Lady Nagant had been a prisoner broken out by All For One, and her sole mission to repay his services was to target Midoriya. Her sniper quirk made it easy for her to keep out of dodge and put Midoriya on the defensive, leading to a spectacular bout between the two.
What she wasn’t prepared for was just how wise Midoriya had become on the battlefield. Despite not being able to see her at first, Midoriya used the precision of the shots and the sound barrier to predict her movement, eventually discovering her location and dealing a decisive blow to end the fight.
7Enji Todoroki vs. Nomus
It’s Finally Endeavor’s Time To Shine
When the number-one pro hero retires from the battlefield, the number-two hero must step up and fill in that role. For Enji Todoroki, there was no time than the present when a clan of Nomus attacked him and Hawks in an unexpected assault.
Endeavor quickly learned what it meant to be the top hero in the world, as the Nomus that were sent to hunt him down were relentless and had minds of their own. This meant that Endeavor needed to react quickly before others were caught up in the attack.
During the fight, Endeavor suffered a near-fatal injury to his face that would leave him permanently scarred, but it wasn’t enough to keep the big guy down. Using hisProminence Burnon the main Nomu, Endeavor went Plus Ultra for the first time, and brought the fight to a fiery end.
6Izuku Midoriya vs. Muscular
1,000,000% Delaware Detroit Smash
Midoriya may be the most frequented hero on this list, but as the main protagonist, it was only a given. His fight against Muscular actually occurs early on after his initial training concluded, leaving Midoriya in a predicament he may not have been prepared for.
My Hero Academia: 8 Best Character Arcs
My Hero Academia thrives on growth and redemption. These character arcs showcase the struggles, sacrifices, and triumphs that define true heroism.
To make matters worse, he had an innocent bystander in Kota Izumi, meaning Midoriya had to engage in a tough battle while protecting a child. Muscular was no joke either, as he was much larger than Midoriya and had more experience in hand-to-hand combat.
What followed was one of the most intense conclusions to a fight, as Midoriya unlocked 1,000,000% of theOne For All Quirk, nailing a Delaware Detroit Smash on Muscular. The blow put Muscular down for good, but also left Midoriya in an awful state due to his body not being able to withstand the power he used.
5All Might vs. Nomu
A One For All Punch To The Heavens
When the League of Villains breached the grounds of the Hero Academy, the students were left to defend themselves against vastly superior opponents. They had the numbers, but they could not keep up with powers beyond their limits and a group of threatening Nomus.
The scales were tipped in their favor whenAll Mightentered the fray and took things into his own hands. Flashing that signature smile we’ve all grown to love, All Might rushed into battle and engaged in a round of fisticuffs with a Nomu.
It’s an understatement when I saw how satisfying it was to see All Might deliver a punch that sent the Nomu flying into the air. When the rest of the pro heroes arrived, the League of Villains had no choice than to leave the battle and flee before things got ugly for them.
4Ochaco Uraraka vs. Himiko Toga
An Ending Built Around Forgiveness
The battle between Ochaco Urauraka and Himiko Toga has extended beyond the most-recent season ofMy Hero Academia, but its conclusion finally happened. Unlike other battles on this list, the end of this one was more bittersweet, leaving us all wiping away tears.
Throughout her life, Toga was unable to get the love and acceptance from those around her, and only got it eventually in an unhealthy way. When she met Ochaco, she saw everything she wanted to be, and a life she had longed to live.
Throughout their fight, emotions were as high as the intensity of the action. Seeing Ochaco fighting for her life ultimatelyled Toga to sacrifice herselfto save the young hero, making her last action one of redemption.
3Shoto Todoroki vs. Dabi
Sometimes, the most bitter rivalries occur at home, and no family can attest to this more than the Todoroki family. I had some exchanges with my siblings in the day, but they never got nearly as close to the fight between Shoto Todoroki and his brother, Dabi.
The two brothers had clashed before, and their history goes back to childhood, when Dabi left the family in an incident that left everyone thinking he was dead. His reveal as a League of Villains member was shocking to all, but it should have been expected with his use of a fire quirk.
It was almost fitting that Dabi was defeated by the hand of Shoto, while using his ice quirk. Dabi was born into a family that expected more than what he was capable of giving, and the brother that had everything was the one to ultimately crush him.
2Izuku Midoriya vs. Overhaul
The Fight That Broke The Internet
When it comes toMy Hero Academiamoments, everyone remembers where they were when Midoriya took down Overhaul. The story had taken us on so many dips and turns, and many believed Overhaul would be the one villain that would take down a good chunk of heroes with him.
Thanks to the help of Eri, Midoriya was able to use hisOne For All quirkto its fullest potential thanks to her power restoring his body to a previous state. This meant that, for the first time, we got to see Midoriya take on a fight without worrying about the damage done to himself.
And when I tell you he unleashed fury from the Heavens, he quite literally did. A barrage of fists rained down on Overhaul, and Midoriya made quirk work of the once-terrifying villain.
1All Might vs. One For All
His Last Job As The Symbol Of Peace
The tale of One For All users and One For All is one as old as time, and one that All Might has told to the viewer time and time again. All Might has had his fair share of run-ins with One For All, one of which left him permanently damaged, but this one stands out most.
Using every last ounce of his power, All Might transformed into his buffed physique andclashed with One For All. Landing a finishing blow, All Might sent his long-time adversary crashing to the ground and left in an unconscious state.
What made this finish more satisfying was the way he pointed back, signaling to Midoriya that it was his time to take over. All Might knew his time as the number-one hero had come to an end, but the future was brighter than it had ever been before.
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Not all Quirks are powerful. Some are more of a burden than a gift, leaving their users struggling. Here are 7 Quirks that fall on the weaker side.
